009 (Graphic Novel)
Joe Shimamura, designated "Cyborg 009", is one of the nine protagonists of the graphic novel Cyborg 009, as well as the titular character. Joe is an amnesiac teenager who had initially lost his memory after going through a near-death experience in the past, leading to a desperate quest to rediscover his former identity. He is potentially the most powerful of the cyborgs, harboring a variety of abilities including the famed "Acceleration Mode". Appearance Joe is a teenager of average height, with short, messy light brown hair and his bangs covering one eye. Like the other cyborgs, he wears a modern depiction of the classic Cyborg uniform, with realistic padded shoulders, knee-high boots, and a black belt with a gun holster holding a blaster. Later on, he and the other team members gain the trademark yellow scarf, and he wears an upgraded uniform consisting of a red-and-black bodysuit that can change its color scheme to blend in with its surroundings (ie: appearing as white and violet when in a snowy landscape) Personality Joe is a tragic character. Having had lost the person he loved as well as his own identity at the hands of various external circumstances as well as Black Ghost, he spends most of his journey trying to get his former life back. His amnesia and current status as a cyborg has left him angry and confused, as well as hungry for answers and retribution. Joe is frequently haunted by the unconscious memory of his former girlfriend Ayumi, who often appears in his dreams. As she was the last thing he saw before he was captured by Black Ghost, he tries to preserve what little he remembers of her and tries to get back into touch with her. History Joe grew up in an orphanage since he was a baby, abandoned by his parents. As a kid, he often picked fights with other people, which later led to him being sent to a juvenile hall. All that changed when he met a girl named Ayumi. They fell in love and planned to elope, but Ayumi's brother Kai opposed their relationship and sent a group of mobsters to separate Ayumi and Joe. Joe was to be beaten and left for dead. The last thing Joe saw was Ayumi being carried away by one of the mobsters, screaming his name. Sometime later, Joe wakes up strapped to an operating table, contacted by a telepathic voice telling him to "Wake up. The world is waiting for you." He is unable to remember anything that happened before and is confused why he is here. Seconds after he gains consciousness, a couple of giant robots appear and shoot at him with lasers. However, he emerges from the smoking wreckage alive and unharmed, much to his surprise. Suddenly he is alerted to more robots approaching. After an intense battle, he finally defeats his robotic enemies and climbs his way to the surface world above, unknowingly monitored by Sekar, the leader of Black Ghost. Sekar shows Joe's combat videos to his colleagues and heralds Joe as the future of global warfare: the cyborg soldier. Once on the surface, he is greeted by Dr. Gilmore and his fellow scientists, accompanied by a group of cyborgs numbered from "001" to "008". Dr. Gilmore reveals that Joe was designed as the ultimate pinnacle of war technology created by Black Ghost, and orders him to destroy his predecessors to test his abilities. Suddenly the program restraining the other cyborgs fails, leading to a revolt. After all the scientists are subdued, both the cyborgs and Dr. Gilmore try to appeal to Joe, each trying to invoke his sense of morality. Ivan Wisky steps in by telling Joe to "listen to your heart". When Joe expresses surprise over a baby guiding his escape, Ivan implores him to understand that "we cyborgs are in this together". Angry that Joe didn't listen to his orders, Gilmore warns the cyborgs that they wouldn't be able to escape even if they tried. However, the cyborgs take Gilmore as a hostage in case their plan fails. Suspicious and confused, Joe demands answers from the old scientist, but Pyunma intervenes by revealing he had helped the cyborgs all along by planning their escape. Gilmore promises to tell Joe everything once they take care of Sekar. Unfortunately, Sekar manages to escape and the cyborgs arrive too late to stop him. When they see a volcano erupting, they realize Sekar has set the base to self-destruct and rush to escape before it explodes. Despite having two of their party injured, the cyborgs manage to steal one of Black Ghost's helicopters and fly away from the island base, gaining their freedom in the process. As the cyborgs recover in an underground base set up by Gilmore in southwest America, Joe again demands answers from Gilmore. Gilmore explains to everyone the story behind Black Ghost, its leader Sekar, and the production of the nine 00 cyborgs, which includes Joe. Angry, Joe calls Gilmore out for experimenting on them against their will. Gilmore justifies his actions through ignorance, but Joe retorts that he willingly experimented on a baby. Ivan, the baby in question, defends Gilmore by explaining his experiments saved him from death. When Joe expresses confusion, the other 00 cyborgs explain how they were acquired by Black Ghost. However, when it's Joe's turn to tell his story, he can't remember. Gilmore tells him that during Joe's cybernetic transformation, Black Ghost put a chip inside Joe that repressed all of his memories. Gilmore warns that the memories are from a life that no longer belongs to him. Joe, however, insists on having the chip removed, and Gilmore finally complies. Upon the chip's removal, Joe quickly remembers everything. Influenced by his old memories, he resolves to get Ayumi and his old life back. Jet Link warns Joe that Black Ghost will catch him once he's out in the open. Because of Black Ghost, none of the 00 cyborgs can go back to their former lives. Joe coldly brushes off Jet's advice. When Francoise Arnoul attempts to comfort him later, he brushes her off, too. Joe leaves the next day, which upsets the other cyborgs, but Ivan tells them that he needs to make his own mistakes. While Gilmore works on deactivating Black Ghost's tracking devices, Joe searches for Ayumi in Japan, his old country. He later finds her at a river, mourning Joe's "death". But seconds after finding Ayumi, he is attacked by an unknown person. In self-defense, Joe punches the stranger into a tree, but the stranger survives and announces his intentions to bring him back to Black Ghost before attacking him with his electric powers. Joe tries to flee using his Accelerator, but the stranger catches up to him and is subsequently joined by a person who looks just like him. They reveal themselves as the cyborg twins 0010 Alpha and Omega, and together they pummel Joe into submission. Fortunately Joe is saved by Francoise, who shoots her blaster to distract Alpha and Omega, causing them to get too close. While the cyborg twins are occupied, Francoise takes Joe to a safe place. Despite Francoise's protests, Joe requests for her to distract Alpha and Omega when they get close again before running off. Joe's plan works. While Alpha and Omega are busy chasing after Joe, Francoise alters her voice to mimic both twins. This causes them to run each other and short-circuit from their polarizing electric powers, frying them to death. After the battle, a heavily injured Joe spots Ayumi walking near the scene of the battle. He catches her yellow scarf after it falls off her shoulders, which reminds him of something he needs to do. Joe uses his Accelerator to quickly travel to a night club, where he finds Ayumi's brother Kai. Out of retribution for his near-death experience, Joe threatens Kai to let his sister live her own life without any interference lest the man be given the "compassion" he didn't give Joe. As he and Francoise leave Tokyo, Joe asks her why she came to retrieve him. The female cyborg tells Joe that he's a human being - he needs his fellow cyborgs just as they need him. Later, Joe and Francoise arrive at Gilmore's base just as Joe begins to succumb to his wounds. While Joe is tended to by Gilmore, the other cyborgs arrive upon hearing of his return. Jet angrily rebukes Joe for potentially putting them all in danger with Black Ghost. This angers Francoise, but Joe admits that Jet is right in being so foolish as to try reclaim his former life. The fact that Joe has encountered Black Ghost's cyborgs, however, troubles everyone. Gilmore explains that Sekar has grown obsessed with weapons enough to try instigate another World War. Joe vows to stop Sekar so he won't turn more innocent people into cyborgs. While Joe is repaired and upgraded, he and Gilmore have a little heart-to-heart. Gilmore tells him that he sympathizes with Joe's desire to live in the past because he had no family, no friends to go to, which was why he joined Black Ghost. Seeing the 00 cyborgs, however, gave Gilmore enough resolve to break free and support them instead. Joe suggests that the 00 cyborgs help others just as Gilmore helped them. Gilmore remarks that Joe is sounding like a hero, to which the young cyborg denies. Joe later finds Francoise by herself, upset over what happened in Tokyo. Francoise confesses that she felt guilty for her part in the death of Alpha and Omega; she wants to use her powers to help, not hurt. Joe comforts her by saying that she saved him, which cheers her up. Suddenly the 00 cyborgs are attacked by Cyborg 0013, who appears as a giant robot. Although the cyborgs initially have trouble fighting him, Joe makes up a plan for everyone to distract 0013 while having Chang Changku dig a hole as a trap. Joe's quick thinking earns a victory for the 00 cyborgs. After 0013 is defeated, he falls down the hole dug by 006 and dies, reverting back to his original form as a teenage boy. However, shortly after 0013's death, a bomb hidden inside his body explodes, and the 00 cyborgs barely escape with their lives. Luckily, 002 manages to retrieve 0013's left tooth. After Junior scans the tooth, he pinpoints Black Ghost's location to Russia, Ivan's homeland. Later, Gilmore and the upgraded 00 cyborgs travel to Russia with plans to infiltrate Black Ghost. Using their special powers, Joe and his friends make a successful infiltration and work their way up from the inside. Abilities Joe represents the pinnacle of technological warfare; the ultimate weapon in Black Ghost's ever-growing arms race. He has a variety of abilities, including enhanced strength and endurance, an internal oxygen supply, and infrared vision. But quite possibly the most powerful ability he has in his arsenal is his "Acceleration Mode", where he is able to move at such high speeds that everything else appears to be standing perfectly still. Gallery ArchaiaJoe marcustoearly.png|009 in early promotional art from 2012. ArchaiaJoe marcustoearly2.png|Inked early concept of second uniform by Marcus To. Note the gloves and different boots. ArchaiaJoe To.png|Finalized design for the second uniform, from the cover of the graphic novel. Notes *Joe's amnesia is a rather new addition, as previous depictions have been shown not to suffer from this in the past. *Ayumi is also a new addition to his history, as other incarnations of Joe did not have a girlfriend in his backstory. The closest possible counterparts would be the Mary character from the manga, who was only stated to be a friend, and Midori Aoba from the Cyborg 009: SF Roman light novel, whose death had set him on the path to delinquency. Category:Cyborgs Category:Graphic Novel characters Category:Male characters